Thursday, November 1, 2018

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSE
Brandon Madsen (Saint Martin's, F, 6-2, Junior, Auburn, Wash.)

Madsen notched a hat trick in the Saints’ lone match of the week, a 4-2 win over Montana State Billings on Saturday. He scored his first two goals off a pair of Oscar Aguilar assists in the first 11 minutes of the match and netted his third goal in the 41st minute.

Also Nominated: Nicholas Denley (Concordia), Mamadi Camara (Simon Fraser), Christian Rotter (Western Washington).

DEFENSE
Jeremiah Lee (Western Washington, M/D, 6-4, Junior, Marysville, Wash.)

Lee played 173 minutes out of a possible 180 minutes and keyed the Vikings to a pair of victories at home. Lee keyed a WWU defense that allowed Northwest Nazarene just five shots in a 3-0 shutout on Thursday. Lee then played all 90 minutes as it held Seattle Pacific to three shots on goal in a 5-1 win on Saturday.

Also Nominated: Grant Alcorn (Concordia), Sebastian Navarro (Saint Martin's).

AROUND THE GNAC

CONCORDIA
• Concordia went 1-0 last week, staying at home to knock off Montana State Billings in a 3-1 decision.  
• A balanced offensive attack paced the Cavaliers as Nicholas Denley, Alec Dunkeld and Brendan Laun combined for their team’s three strikes.
• Goalkeeper Grant Alcorn came up clutch as well, making four saves in 90 minutes of action to record his sixth victory of the season. The senior entered the match as the GNAC’s reigning Defensive Player of the Week.  
• Concordia returns home now for its final two matches of the season. The team will host Northwest Nazarene on Thursday afternoon before meeting Western Washington in Portland on Saturday at 7 p.m.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings went on the road for a pair of matches last week and suffered two tight defeats.
• After falling to Concordia in a 3-1 decision on Thursday, the Yellowjackets went up to Lacey and fell victim to a Brandon Madsen hat trick in a 4-2 loss. Midfielder Andres Perez led MSUB in that one, tallying goals in the 34th and 84th minutes to keep his team in the match.  
• It’s senior Dana Kowachek who leads the team in both goals (7) and points (17) with one week remaining. Fellow senior Guillaume Kremer has been the next highest producer with four goals and five assists.
• Montana State Billings returns home this week for a single match to put a cap on the season. No. 1 Simon Fraser will come to town for a 3 p.m. kickoff at Yellowjacket Field.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene dropped both of its matches last week, falling 3-0 at Western Washington and 4-0 at top-ranked Simon Fraser.
• Forward Rafael Junqueira leads NNU in most major categories, including points (16), goals (7) and shots on goal (16) through 16 matches.
• Sophomore Jake Levine has tallied 15 points on a balance of five goals and five assists on the season.
• The Nighthawks are back in action twice this week for their final two matches of the 2018 campaign. They will travel to Portland to face Concordia on Thursday afternoon before hosting Saint Martin’s two days later.

SAINT MARTIN'S
• Saint Martin’s finished its ninth week of play with a victory in its only match.
• Using a hat trick from forward Brandon Madsen, the Saints exploded for four goals in a 4-2 victory over Montana State Billings. Madsen’s outburst earned him the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week award on Monday.
• Madsen leads SMU with 23 points on 10 goals through 16 matches.
• The team is in third place on the GNAC table with one match week remaining, sitting just one point behind second-place Western Washington.   
• The Saints hit the road for their final two matches of the season, playing at Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene two days later.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific fell in both of its matches last week, dropping a pair of road decisions against No. 1 Simon Fraser and Western Washington.
• Thursday night’s clash with the Clan was a tight one for the duration. After surrendering a second-minute goal, the visitors from Seattle pulled even on a strike from Alden Massey in the 18th minute. An own goal midway through the second half ultimately doomed SPU in a 2-1 defeat.  
• Seattle Pacific returns home now for its final match of the season. The Falcons will play host to Saint Martin’s on Thursday at 7 p.m.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser sits on top of the GNAC table and is still ranked No. 1 nationally after finishing week nine with another perfect 2-0 record. The team also tops the United Soccer Coaches and NCAA West Region rankings and now sits at 16-0-0 on the season.
• The highlight of the week was a 4-0 blowout of Northwest Nazarene on Saturday night. Playing in his final match at Terry Fox Field, midfielder Mamadi Camara led the way with a pair of goals in the Senior Night victory.
• Offensively, forward Matteo Polisi has led the way for SFU. The sophomore has totaled 46 points on the year, ranking him No. 4 in Division II.
• Simon Fraser is back in action for a pair of matches this week, starting with a trip to second-place Western Washington on Saturday. The team will then take to Billings for a matchup with MSUB in its final tuneup before next week’s NCAA Championships.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington emerged victorious in both of its matches last week, shutting out Northwest Nazarene for a 3-0 victory on Thursday before rolling to a 5-1 win against Seattle Pacific.
• Forward Christian Rotter led the way for the Vikings, tallying three goals on the week. His strike in the 20th minute against the Nighthawks proved to be the game-winner for his club.
• Sophomore Georg Cholewa leads the team in points through 16 matches. The midfielder has totaled 23 points on a team-high eight goals in 2018.  
• Cholewa has been the key to a high-powered WWU offensive attack this season, one that is second in the GNAC and 35th nationally with 16.19 shots per match.
• Western Washington is back in action this week for a pair of matches, starting Thursday on Senior Night against top-ranked Simon Fraser. The Vikings will then hit the road for their regular season finale, facing Concordia in Portland on Saturday night.